NJ Senator Mike Doherty Pulls A Pelosi

Sponsors a critical bill before he reads it

Legislature in poised to pass a “cap” that doesn’t control costs

State Senator Mike Doherty

State Senator Mike Doherty (R-Warren) told MMM that he hadn’t read a bill of which is he is a primary sponsor, the day after it cleared the Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee.

We’re not talking about an insignificant bill like designating “I’m from New Jersey” as the State Song, or the establishment of special license plates for honorably discharged veterans, two other bills that Doherty sponsored.

We’re talking about the extension of the 2% cap on arbitration awards for police and firefighters unions, the provision of the 2010 reform legislation that slowed the growth in New Jersey’s property taxes and made the 2% cap on those taxes work.

Doherty joined Senate President Sweeney in sponsoring legislation that exempts contracts that have already been subject to the cap from being subject to it again when they are up for renewal and raises the cap to 3% on contracts that have not yet been subject to renegotiation.

Doherty said, “I don’t see what the big deal is, the original bill had one bite at the apple, this bill extends that.  Is it a perfect bill? No, but this is the way Trenton works. A bill that passes is better than no bill.”

Not really, Senator.  A bill that passes the same as no bill, except it deceives the public into thinking the legislature is continuing fiscal reforms when they are actually engineering massive chaos in municipal governments.

Doherty said he hadn’t read the bill when we questioned him on specifics.  He said he was relying on analysis of the bill from Republican legislative staffers and referred questions to Republican Senators Steven Oroho and Sam Thompson, members of the committee that unanimously cleared the bill.

The leadership of the police and firefighters unions not only read the bill, they helped write it, according to what they are telling their members.

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Greg’s List: Things to do in Monmouth County this weekend, March 28-30, 2014

By Greg Kelly

Friday, March 28

• Wanda Sykes at Count Basie Theatre (Red Bank) – MORE INFO

• My Fair Lady at Algonquin Arts Theatre (Manasquan) – MORE INFO

• The Imaginary Invalid (Holmdel) – MORE INFO

• Free Tax Preparation Help (Wall Twp, Shrewsbury, Manalapan) – MORE INFO

• Free Tax Preparation Help (Long Branch) – MORE INFO

• Date of a Lifetime at NJ Repertory Theater (Long Branch) – MORE INFO

• Sylvia at First Ave Playhouse (Atlantic Highlands) – MORE INFO

• The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Aberdeen) – MORE INFO

• Family Game Night (Tinton Falls) – MORE INFO

• Hiding Behind Comets (Ocean Grove) – MORE INFO

• Legally Blonde ~ The Musical (Wall Twp) – MORE INFO

• Book Sale (Ocean Twp) – MORE INFO

• Girls’ Night Out at Sickles Market (Little Silver) – MORE INFO

• Intro to Podcasting (Middletown) – MORE INFO

• Emily Grove CD Release Show at The Stone Pony (Asbury Park) – MORE INFO

• Ultimate Clapton Tribute Band at The Wonder Bar (Asbury Park) – MORE INFO

• Yoga for Adults (Red Bank) – MORE INFO

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Christie’s Internal Bridgegate Report To Be Released Thursday

MMM photo/Art Gallagher

The former prosecutors that the Christie Administration hired to perform an internal investigation into the George Washington Bridge lane closures and allegations made by Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer that Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno told Zimmer that Sandy aid for Hoboken was contingent upon a development approval will release the findings of their investigation on Thursday morning at 11:30.

A New York Times article about the report published on Sunday says it will address what and when Mr. Christie and his aides knew about the lane closings; analyze the structure, practices and culture of the Christie administration that contributed to the scandal; and issue pointed recommendations to prevent such conduct in the future.

Randy Mastro, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and a Deputy to former New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani, lead the team of lawyers from Gibson Dunn in conducting the investigation.  Over 70 interviews were conducted and thousands of documents reviewed in the probe that cost New Jersey taxpayers over $1 million.

Three key players in the Bridgegate scandal, Christie former Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Ann Kelly, Christie’s former political strategist Bill Stepien and David Wildstein, Christie’s former #2 at the Port Authority of NY/NJ, did not submit to interviews with Mastro’s team.

A joint legislative committee lead by Assemblyman John Wisniewski and Senator Loretta Weinberg continues to investigate the Bridgegate matters. U. S Attorney Paul Fishman’s office is also investigating.

Christie told NJ 101.5’s Eric Scott during his Ask the Governor radio show on Wednesday evening that if Mastro’s report implicates members of his staff, that punitive measures will be taken.

MMM will livestream Mastro’s press conference on Thursday at 11:30 AM

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Property taxes: Christie won’t sign Democrat bill to extend key law, Republican lawmaker says

Property taxes: Christie won’t sign Democrat bill to extend key law, Republican lawmaker says (via NJ.com)

TRENTON — A fight over renewing a law crucial to holding back an increase in property taxes is nowhere near resolved, a Republican lawmaker who has led the fight for retaining it said today. Although the Democrat-led Legislature last week began advancing…

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Support for red-light cameras declines in NJ, poll by AAA finds

Support for red-light cameras declines in NJ, poll by AAA finds (via NJ.com)

The more New Jersey motorists nabbed by red-light cameras, the less support the automated traffic cops have in the state, a poll by AAA has found. In 2007, before the cameras were installed at intersections across New Jersey, 77 percent of those surveyed…

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Christie: Federal Law Keeping RREM Applicants in Limbo

Pallone says legislation is not necessary, regulators can change the rules

Governor Chris Christie listens to a resident’s question in Belmar. March 25, 2014 MMM photo/Art Gallagher. Click for larger view.

Governor Chris Christie told the 650 people in attendance at his Town Hall Meeting in Belmar yesterday that he went to Washington last week to ask HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan to waive the rule that is keeping Sandy victims from rebuilding their homes while they are waiting to find out if they will be approved for Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation (RREM) grants of up to $150,000.

The RREM program will not reimburse homeowners for work done on their homes prior to their acceptance into the program.  Over 3000 people are on the RREM waiting list for the second round of HUD funding which is expected to be awarded late this spring. They are in limbo, living in temporary housing, paying rent and mortgages, while their ruined homes are dormant.

Christie said that Donovan told him he could not waive the rule because a specific federal law prohibits grants being used to pay for work performed prior to the federal approval being secured.

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‘State of the News Media’: New report tracks changing business

‘State of the News Media’: New report tracks changing business (via NJ.com)

Online news sites have added 5,000 full-time jobs to the news business over the last few years, while employment in the newspaper industry continues to decline, according to a new accounting by the Pew Research Center, a non-profit group. Pew released…

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Governor Fields Questions About Post-Sandy Relief at Latest Town Hall

Governor Fields Questions About Post-Sandy Relief at Latest Town Hall (via NJSpotlight)

Gov. Chris Christie heard more tales of woe from people still struggling to recover from Superstorm Sandy at his latest town hall meeting yesterday. It was the sixth Q&A he’s held in Belmar, as well as the sixth town hall he’s held since the Bridgegate…

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The Dismantling Of Christie’s “Bi-partisan” Reforms

photo credit: Tim Larsen/Governor’s Office

It’s beginning to look like Governor Chris Christie’s Boulevard of Compromise is a dead end.

The 2% property tax cap is under attack, as the Trenton Democrats are on the verge of passing an “extension” of the Interest Arbitration Award Cap that eliminates the cap on most arbitration awards and increases the cap on the remainder of the potential awards by 50%.

In my piece last night about the Interest Arbitration Cap, I raised the hope that published reports that Assembly and Senate committees cleared an identical bill that guts the cap were inaccurate because Senator Mike Doherty was co-sponsor of the Senate bill and because of Senate President Steve Sweeney’s comments about the cap at his Town Hall Meeting in Keansburg last week.  It turns out that was wishful thinking. MMM has learned the bills are identical and, inexplicably, Doherty is a primary sponsor of the Senate bill, giving Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto “bi-partisan” cover.

Doherty has yet to return our call for comment.  We’ve been told his attitude about the bill he is sponsoring with Sweeney is “a bill that will pass is better than no bill.”

Doherty has a point, albeit a minor one.  If no bill passes by April 1, there is no cap on Interest Arbitration awards at all.  If the bill that cleared through committees yesterday passes the full legislature and is signed by Christie, there will be a 3% cap on a minority of municipal government labor contracts for the next few years.  If Christie vetoes the bill, even conditionally, there is no arbitration cap.  Either way the property tax blaze is about to be reignited and/or the pain inflicted upon municipalities will be so great that consolidations and mergers will be forced indelicately.  The backdoor destruction of municipal governments appears to be Sweeney’s undeclared plan.

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